s0 long farewell: drama club memories to remember
In this month, where we say goodbye to the schoolyear, the NJ Junior Thespian State Board reflects on drama clubs from when they were in school and memories that they are making with their drama club.
I REMEMBER WHEN...
Then: As a student, the more time I spent in the theater, the more I wanted to be there. The hours getting dirty, painting, building - making the set come alive really geared me towards the backstage jobs. I miss the fun we had as students creating and hanging out.
Now: Now as a director/teacher, I love seeing the relationships form from the competitive edginess of auditions throughout the process of putting the show together. I love seeing their memories and friendships being created.
-Caitlin Gioe, Social Media Coordinator, Stafford Intermediate School
Now: Now as a director/teacher, I love seeing the relationships form from the competitive edginess of auditions throughout the process of putting the show together. I love seeing their memories and friendships being created.
-Caitlin Gioe, Social Media Coordinator, Stafford Intermediate School
Then: My favorite memory from Middle School has to be when I was in “The Wizard of Oz.” During this production, our director truly taught us all of the aspects of musical theater. She taught us how all the roles in a show depended on each other, how to paint scenery, and even manage areas backstage. I valued these lessons so much. It is because of Ms. Libby that I am now a Middle School Director!
Now: During every show I direct, the only place I feel comfortable watching the performance is from the wings. I am so grateful I chose to make this my viewing spot as it gives me my favorite memory each year. The first one was the moment the curtain closed at the end of my first production of “High School Musical.” Watching the cast all break their pose to run into each other's arms, screaming with joy while crying was a true joy. For me, watching them all congratulate each other and hug away tears shows me that I have taught them the important message of doing a show - the community you build! That moment is the reason I love doing what I do.
-Mark Accardi, IE Coordinator, Montgomery Upper Middle School
Now: During every show I direct, the only place I feel comfortable watching the performance is from the wings. I am so grateful I chose to make this my viewing spot as it gives me my favorite memory each year. The first one was the moment the curtain closed at the end of my first production of “High School Musical.” Watching the cast all break their pose to run into each other's arms, screaming with joy while crying was a true joy. For me, watching them all congratulate each other and hug away tears shows me that I have taught them the important message of doing a show - the community you build! That moment is the reason I love doing what I do.
-Mark Accardi, IE Coordinator, Montgomery Upper Middle School
Then: My high school didn’t have a tech team—the actors came in and stayed late to build and paint the sets. My favorite memories from HS are sitting with my friends, ordering pizza, playing music and working on the show until 8 or 9:00 at night. It was a great way to bond and get invested in the production!
Now: My current favorite memory at my school is from when we did “James and the Giant Peach, Jr”. We incorporated gorgeous puppets from StageWorthy arts, build a 17 foot peach that rolled and rotated, and our tech team came up with some incredible “magic” elements for the production. It was wonderful to see the cast and audience get wrapped up in the tech elements that made the classic story come to life.
-Joan Schubin, Workshop Organizer, Timberlane Middle School
Now: My current favorite memory at my school is from when we did “James and the Giant Peach, Jr”. We incorporated gorgeous puppets from StageWorthy arts, build a 17 foot peach that rolled and rotated, and our tech team came up with some incredible “magic” elements for the production. It was wonderful to see the cast and audience get wrapped up in the tech elements that made the classic story come to life.
-Joan Schubin, Workshop Organizer, Timberlane Middle School
One memory from middle school drama class still makes me smile, as I think of it often. We were rehearsing a scene from Hello Dolly that included moving a box of candy containing “chocolate covered peanuts, unshelled” around the set. We worked out a series of moves, but for some reason, we just couldn’t get the order down. Everytime we rehearsed, the box ended up in a different place, causing confusion and eventually uncontrollable laughter from the cast. By opening night, we still hadn’t gotten it right, but the audience loved our fumblings and somehow it all worked out fine. These are the memories that we remember the most, the “happy accidents” of live theatre. My students would “laughingly” agree!
-Lillianne P. Torrente, Sponsorship Coordinator, Ranney School
-Lillianne P. Torrente, Sponsorship Coordinator, Ranney School
AUTHORs
NJ JUNIOR THESPIAN STATE BOARD
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